


Doggy Duo

by SkyWrites



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy, Dogs, Everything is better with dogs, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Girls with dogs, Minor Angst, Pooches, Wolves but the domesticated kind that aren't very wolf like, canines, farm life, hounds, more dogs, puppers, there might be dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:03:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWrites/pseuds/SkyWrites
Summary: Doggy Heaven is that farm upstate you send your precious doggies to. And up there, in the hills, an angel and her friend will take care of them and make sure they're the happiest little pups you ever did see.





	Doggy Duo

**Author's Note:**

> Easy going little story. Written all in just a few hours. A bit self-indulgent, but I needed it. There is a mention of the fact that dogs do die and that its sad and stupid that they do, but that's about the end of it. 
> 
> Inspired by Darkhymns' Shelloyd fic, where I wanted to make sure Colette was living a happy life.

Every day was like a dream come true.

Sunlight streamed through the trees, highlighting the grassy emerald hills. Wind blew sweet whispers through her hair, it’s soothing song leaving all the trees and the plants in a quiet dance as it rustled through. Out here the sky was always as blue as the twinkling ocean out in the horizon, only a short walk away, perfect for those days when it was just too hot.

‘Doggy Heaven’ the sign read in all bold letters, the O shaped like a cute dog’s paw pad. It hadn’t occurred to Colette or Presea that the name might have been a little unfortunate. Not until Raine had pointed it out on one of her visits.

“It’s a very cute name,” Raine said in that tone of hers that always lead to criticism. “But… when someone brings their dog here, they have to say their dog went to Doggy Heaven.”

Presea tilted her head. “I do not see the problem.”

Colette felt an embarrassed flush rush to her cheeks as she realized. But she couldn’t say.

Raine sighed. “It’s… it’s a pretty common way for adults to tell children that their dog has died. Their dog went to a farm far away in Doggy Heaven. Do you see the issue?”

Colette wanted to apologize. What a dumb name she had picked! She should have known better…

“I do not,” Presea continued stonily, surprising them. “We will be making Doggy Heaven a reality then. It no longer has to have a connotation of sadness.”

Colette was not a spiteful person by any means, but when Raine’s face twisted into shock and defeat, she couldn’t help but smile. It must have been the first time she’d seen Raine lose an argument.

“I guess that’s…. true.”

And it was.

Sometimes she still couldn’t believe it was real. Never did she think that she could turn down Lloyd. Never in a million years!

“Colette… do you want to join me on my exosphere journey?” Lloyd had asked so suddenly, after the world had been regenerated. “It’s okay to say no. I promise.”

And it hurt at the time. Saying no. Saying no was hard to anyone! But Lloyd especially. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can, Lloyd. Regal, he…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to! But… Regal had made her an unbelievable offer. Apparently, the stray dog population was a real problem in Meltokio and all across the world! So many dogs without homes, without care, without love… Regal wanted to do something about it. He was always a bit of a dog enthusiast himself, after all.

“Money will not be an issue, Colette,” Regal had said to her in his extravagant office, finally free of his chains. “All I ask is that you care for the animals to the best of your ability. I will handle the paperwork, the guests, and the dogs. You just tell me what you need, and I will provide it. I have the utmost faith in you for this.”

“And…” Regal turned to Presea, his eyes softening as they always did when he looked at her. “Presea. Would this be acceptable?”

“Of course,” Presea said without even a moment’s doubt. “I have studied canines, researched them, and I believe I am up to the task.” She had just been studying their paws outside even.

Regal smiled. A rare thing. “Good. And you Colette? Are you happy with this arrangement? You seem upset. Are you all right?”

She had stupidly started crying during the talks. It wasn’t that she was sad. She was just filled with so many emotions. Happiness and worry were the major contenders, with embarrassment being a close third. But, of course she had accepted! Of course she wanted this! She could really make a difference in the world this way, a difference that she even felt confident in.

She had never thought of herself as good at anything, but dogs? She knew dogs. She loved dogs, and they loved her. If her one task for the rest of her life was to love dogs, then she would do it! It helped to have Presea with her as well. She worried it would be lonely, even with all the doggies, but Presea somehow… she seemed excited?

That must have been over two years ago. Now, here she was, atop a hill overlooking the ocean, wind at her hair, and dogs yipping happily all around her. Their home together was nothing fancy, they didn’t need much! Colette and Presea had always lived simple lives. A small wooden home, speckled with decorative pawprints all over its outside, and a fenced backyard big enough to fit a whole army of dogs!

Morning was still young, but Colette and Presea were always up bright and early. The dogs wouldn’t have it any other way! Not that Colette minded. She could sleep in if she wanted. Presea always handled them in the mornings, always kept to the dogs’ schedule exactly as they would like with a precision that could only be found in a machine.

Every morning, without fail, Presea lined up the dogs. There were always about 10 or 20, some coming and going, some never leaving, some only leaving when they were adopted, some needing a little more love than others, but Colette and Presea could handle it.

Colette watched with a smile as Presea did her routine. Each dog, no matter what size or shape sat before her, lined up like a row of happy furry soldiers. Before each of them, they had their own bowl, and each bowl had its dog’s name on it.

Their food glistened under the sun, a mix of the usual kibble, some rice, and maybe a little cream cheese depending on the dog’s pickiness or digestive system. None of them touched it without Presea’s permission. She taught them obedience, a thing that Colette was never very great it. If it was up to Colette, every doggy would be running around like a wild animal. She just couldn’t be stern with them!

But Presea… She was stern and so loving at the same time.

“Chuchu,” Presea said seriously, kneeling before the panting Corgi, its tongue lolling. “Shake,” Presea commanded gently. As they all did, the Corgi quickly gave her its paw, allowing Presea to inspect the pads. An adorable smile crossed her lips, a smile so true that it always gave Colette tingles in her belly.

“Healthy. Happy. Good girl, Chuchu. I love you. Go eat.” She kissed the dog on the head sweetly. And as always, like the doggy had been waiting its whole life for this moment, the doggy dug into its meal, its behind shaking in glee where its tail was missing.

She did this one at a time for each dog. Every morning. Checked their paws, made their breakfast, told them she loved them, and let them eat. There were always newer dogs, and like people, every dog was different, although unlike people, every dog was good. Always good. Some just needed a bit of structure.

“Healthy. Happy. Good girl, Aiko. I love you. Go eat,” Presea said to the Shiba. However, the Shiba simply stared blankly at her bowl, looking almost confused. “Hm? Are you not hungry? You did not eat dinner last night either, Aiko.”

The Shiba responded with yet another blank stare. She was new. It had taken Presea a couple days to get this one to sit in line, but Presea had such a way with dogs, they always listened eventually.

Presea turned to the Corgi, putting all attention on it as it ate its breakfast ravenously. “Look at Mimi’s food, Aiko. Look at how much she loves it.” And, like always, the dog’s tongue came out, a bit of drool falling from its lips. “You want to eat her food, don’t you? Chuchu will not mind.” She deftly switched the bowls, and while the Corgi seemed upset for a second, that feeling was quickly replaced when she realized she had a whole other full bowl now.

Dogs really could be just like people. They’d see something someone else has and want that instead. Even if the thing they had was the same. Without a second to spare, the Shiba dove head first into the bowl, chomping and wagging her tail happily. Presea patted her head, proud of the dog for getting its appetite back.

While Presea always gave them the diet and obedience the dogs sorely needed, Colette found she was best at giving them love.

A big brown standard poodle stood out in the grass, her tail wagging, her eyes staring at Colette. Colette, of course, locked eyes with it, and like always, the doggy’s tail went into overdrive. That was all they needed sometimes. ‘Broowoowoo!’ the dog barked lightly, its long legs walking in place as Colette stared.

Colette knew what this meant. “You want to play, Reina?” And at the sound of her voice, the poodle’s tail swung even faster. “Where’s your toy?” She asked it, laughing lightly.

The dog in question stiffened, floppy ears perked up, as if to say, ‘ _I don’t know!!! Where is it!!! What!!_ ’

“Where’s your toy?” Colette repeated one more time.

This time, it seemed to register. The poodle shot out down the backyard like a rocket, like, ‘ _Oh! That toy!! Yes, I know where this is, I know where this is!!!_ ’ After a second, she returned proudly, a stuffed duck in her mouth, squeaking and honking happily. ‘ _This is my toy!! This is the best toy, I am the best for finding this toy, did you see?_ ’

Colette grabbed the ratty old duck plush from the dog, petting her fluffy head with the fury of a thousand petters. “Good girl!! Good girl!!” She said, kneeling and embracing the big doggy, hugging her as tight as she knew was comfortable for it. And before the doggy could realize what was happening, Colette had tossed the stuffed duck across the yard, shouting, “Go get it!!”

‘ _Oh my god, oh my god, I am SO going to get that!’_ The poodle shot off into the distance, running like a big awkward furry deer. It was a good thing Colette could throw so far! It tired out the doggies quick and left her time to pet and play with the others while one of them was busy fetching.

She looked out into their big backyard park with a happy sigh. Charlie the golden retriever was sunbathing in the grass, looking so relaxed and content that Colette could practically feel it herself. A few of the other smaller dogs were playing on their little play pen that Presea helped build.

Sir Fluffles the Second (the tiny little Pom Pom) was panting and nipping at one of the bigger dogs on its perch. Small doggies just loved to climb up things, didn’t they? The bigger dog, Coco, seemed appalled that this little Pom Pom was nipping playfully at it. ‘ _I am just trying to say hello, what is your problem??’_

 _‘I am a knight!! You are a dragon!!’_ Sir Fluffles the Second yipped, hopping off her perch and down through one of the little tubes that little dogs seemed to just love to explore. It ran in circles like a maniac, and again, Colette found herself laughing so happily.

She turned and found Presea tending to one of their oldest customers. A small black dachshund curled up in a ball under the sun in his favorite bed. Presea petted him with such a tender touch, and the doggy responded by putting his head into her hand even more. He was always a bit shaky, a bit hard at hearing, eyes clouded and not so great at seeing, but he always perked up so much at Presea or Colette’s attention.

“Is he doing good?” Colette asked, moving beside Presea and taking a seat down in the grass.

“He is happy.” Presea said, a tinge of… something in her voice. It was always hard to tell with her. “He is old. He cannot see, he cannot hear, but he is happy. His nose is wet and can he can smell anything better than any other dog.”

The dog sniffed the air, catching Colette’s scent right away. Sluggishly, he got up from his bed, waddled out from under his little towel, and stepped into her lap like he had always done a million times. He curled up and let his heavy body relax against Colette, trusting her to keep her safe. Colette responded with a generous pet of her own, massaging his probably sore back as he lay.

Colette hunched over him, holding him tight, keeping him safe from the harsh world, making sure nothing would ever hurt him. She whispered to him, “I love you so much. So much it hurts. I don’t care what happens. I’ll always love you. You’re my favorite. Don’t tell the others.” Although. He probably couldn’t hear her, could he? It didn’t matter. He grunted happily anyway, sighing as his little nose twitched, smelling everything he could possibly smell.

“You are so good with them,” Presea said, staring at Colette almost as blankly as the animals. “The dogs.” Her pink hair drooped, and her voice was low. She… she couldn’t be upset, could she?

“Huh? Me?” Colette could feel herself about to fall over in shock, but she didn’t dare with this sweet fragile old dog in her lap. “You’re the one who gets them all to stand in a line! They all listen to you so well! I’ve never seen anyone better with dogs!”

“But they love you the most,” Presea said slowly, her eyes turning away. “I cannot give them the affection you do, the affection they need.”

Colette frowned. She spent all her time giving love and affection to the dogs, she never quite thought of Presea, did she? It wasn’t fair to her. If she didn’t have a lap full of the best dog in the universe, she would have moved closer to Presea.

“That’s not true, they love you, too!” Colette argued, even though the dog Presea was just petting was now in Colette’s lap, sleeping soundly. “Um… hmm…” She shook her head, trying to think. “I… I don’t know how to word things as well as you, but I know they love you! They love you so so much! Just the way they look at you!” Colette said, making direct eye contact with Presea to drive her point home.

“Hm.” Presea blinked, a strange twinkle in her eye as she looked at Colette. “I see.”

“Plus!” Colette went on, her heart for some reason pounding, like her life depended on arguing this point. “They respect you much more. You’re like the alpha doggy to them? You keep them all in line, so they try to respect your space! I just,” she giggled sheepishly. “I just sort of want to pet them and feed them treats all day.”

“Yes, you must be careful of their treat consumption, Colette,” Presea replied quickly, eyes still on Colette’s. She paused. The strange blank sadness was gone, and instead replaced with a smile usually only reserved for paw pads. “I believe I understand. Thank you, Colette.”

“Mmhmm!” Colette giggled.

* * *

And as wonderful as it was, as much of a dream come true as Doggy Heaven was, there was always that inevitable sadness that came when owning a dog. Everyone experienced it, and they were no different. It would never be easy.

Colette was usually always the one to cry. Even on the best days, sometimes Colette just found herself scared, just found herself stressed, and found herself crying over something stupid and trivial. Presea was always there to comfort her in Presea’s usual way. A little cold and logical, but at the same time, it kept Colette grounded, made it easy to think, even when she had a hard time doing just that.

But…

When a dog passed, it hit Presea the hardest. Only one ever had so far. There would be more, as that is just the reality of things.

“I don’t understand,” Presea had said, tears streaming down her face. She touched the tears, staring at her shaking hands like it was her own blood and she didn’t know how it got there. “I don’t understand,” she repeated, her throat choking.

Colette’s heart was broken as well, but she didn’t cry at least. Not now. Not when Presea needed her. She needed to be strong. She wrapped her arms around Presea in a tight embrace and whispered, “It’s okay. It’s okay,” stroking her hair gently.

And like a floodgate opened, Presea wailed into Colette’s chest, clutching the angel with all her might. Luckily Colette was blessed with angelic strength, and Presea’s tightest hug would never hurt her. She cried, and she cried, until she couldn’t cry anymore. It was a foreign concept to Presea, a terrifying concept to her, but Colette was there to tell her it was okay, to help her understand her own tears. It seemed to help. They fell asleep together that night, surrounded by their furry friends.

While it hurt, it really did, Colette was also glad she could share that feeling with Presea. Glad she could help the other feel her emotions, feel like a human again. Colette understood that too. That loss of feeling, that hazy mess in your mind as you lose yourself… She knew Presea still experienced that, and she would always be there to help her through it, help her out of that choking haze.

* * *

But those sad days were few and far between. And Colette wouldn’t allow those days to define her or Presea.

* * *

Some days, the others would come visit, and on days like that, Colette and Presea liked to take the dogs out to the beach. It wasn’t a far walk, and Presea could handle every dog that wanted to go out. (Which was almost always all of them.) Once at the sandy shore, she let them free from their leashes, and even though the dogs tended to shoot out in all different directions like fireworks, Presea always kept them in her sight, and always wrangled them in close proximity.

“It must be exhausting,” Raine said, laying underneath a cute doggy paw themed beach umbrella. “I can barely handle kids for five days a week, let alone every moment of every day.”

Colette watched Lloyd, Sheena, and Noishe playing out in the sparkling blue ocean with a smile. Sir Fluffles was nipping at Noishe, terrifying the massive dog to no end, even though Sir Fluffles was about the size of Noishe’s paw. They seemed happy! It filled Colette with a warm light.

“Oh, it’s not at all!” Colette said with a sigh, laying back on her beach towel with Raine. Kenny, a big dog that even Colette couldn’t quite tell what type he was, lay next to her, receiving lazy pets with a gracious sigh. “Presea takes care of all the hard stuff, actually,” she said sheepishly feeling embarrassed.

Raine watched as Genis played with his kendama at the shore, a group of excited dogs watching the ball with fascination. Genis had the goofiest smile on his face, looking so impressed with his skills with the toy as the dogs clapped in appreciation with their wagging tails.

“It is very nice, isn’t it?” Raine said with a smile.

“Mmhmm!” Colette nodded. She turned over to see Zelos flipping out, the bigger dogs pinning him down in quite literally a dog pile. He was screaming about his face and hair as they licked him, but Colette could only laugh. “Presea and I even let the dogs sleep with us in bed every night, too!”

Raine nodded along with that, before quickly catching herself. “That’s nice-wait.” She stared. “You sleep in the same bed together?”

Colette blinked. “Yeah. With all the doggies! And, like Presea said, it’s more ‘economically efficient’, too!” She struggled a bit saying that last part. “Why? Is that weird?”

“No, no! It’s not!” Raine grumbled quickly, waving it off. “It’s actually just what I expected.”

Colette shrugged. She didn’t understand, but she was just happy to be out with her friends all together, and with her dogs, and with Presea. Things couldn’t get better. She shot up, wings out, her sandals and bathing suit ready, and she sprinted for the ocean to play with Lloyd and Sheena, an army of furry soldiers following behind her.

* * *

One morning, on a morning like any other, Colette was feeling particularly playful. Presea had the dogs lined up in an orderly fashion as she did every day, inspecting them and praising them as they deserved. Colette, with a mischievous grin, infiltrated the ranks of the doggies, kneeling between two of the bigger ones giddily.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she didn’t know why. It was just a funny little trick! Yet she couldn’t stop smiling.

When Presea finally reached Colette in her line of doggies, her eyes widened ever so slightly, staring at Colette with that blank, yet understanding stare. She knelt wordlessly before the angel.

“Bark bark!” Colette said with a laugh, unable to give even the slightest of convincing dog barks.

Presea smiled. It was different from the smile she gave to the dogs every day. “Shake,” Presea said, like always.

Colette placed her hand delicately in Presea’s, noting still how soft it was, despite all her hard work. Presea clasped it tightly, inspecting it gently like she would any other paw, her finger running along Colette’s palm pleasantly.

“Happy. Healthy. Good girl,” Presea said like always. “I love you,” she continued, planting her usual kiss right on Colette’s unsuspecting lips.

Colette was sitting, yet she still fell over herself backwards, face as hot and red as a boiled tomato. Presea’s lips smelled like clean doggies and pampered puppies, but with a sweet taste. Presea merely giggled quietly at Colette’s reaction, an extremely rare occurrence, before moving onto the next dog like nothing had ever happened.

“Happy. Healthy. Good girl. I love you,” she said again.


End file.
